The content creator was diagnosed with surfer’s myelopathy, a rare non-traumatic spinal cord injury

NEED TO KNOW

Brock Kelly is opening up about a recent surfing incident in Hawaii.

The Mississippi-based content creator shared on Instagram Monday, Nov. 19 that he suffered a rare surfing injury the previous Friday, on Nov. 6, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.

Kelly, 24, suffered surfer’s myelopathy, which is a rare non-traumatic spinal cord injury caused by hyperextension of the back, which cuts off blood flow to the lower spinal cord, according to the National Institutes of Health.

“Recovery is uncertain. I may never walk again. But yet again, there’s a chance I make a full recovery,” Kelly captioned the post, which featured a photo of him in a hospital bed. “I know the Lord is faithful through it all. Thank you for all of the kind messages! I feel extremely cared for and loved.”

Kelly has over 100,000 followers on Instagram, where he shares lifestyle and fitness content. He’s also the owner of Over Everything Athletics Club, a Mississippi-based run club and fitness brand.

His mother, Paige Kelly, shared more details about his injury in a series of posts to Facebook.

In her first post on Saturday, Nov. 7, she said she and his wife, Mary Grace, were traveling to Hawaii because Brock was in the intensive care unit after a spinal cord injury and couldn’t “feel anything from the waist down.”

In a subsequent update, she shared his diagnosis and said that he was working with neurosurgeons to chart his best path forward.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“His spirits are high, and he remains positive and unbelievably optimistic, even with so much still unknown,” she wrote in her latest post on Tuesday, Nov. 10. “He’s already setting goals for himself. He’s sitting here reading his Bible, concentrating on trying to move his toes, and, in the middle of everything he’s facing, he asked Mary Grace and me, ‘What are five things you’re thankful for today?’ ”

“Please continue to lift Brock up in prayer,” Paige continued. “We are still praying for a healing miracle, and I have faith that God will see us through all of this.”